I am
the prisoner of my own mind
a poet waiting to be free
by words and paper
I am
the solid shield of a turtle
that no one can break with words
I am
the bird that sings
but no one understands me
I am
the orange that waits to be eaten
by a person who is patient
waiting until I am as sweet as honey.

– Christiam Morales
From the 2008 WritersCorps book “Mangos Have No Borders” at Mission High School

Poem of the Month: May 2008

The spring will begin
And the flowers will grow again
Winter goes away

Freezing winds disappear
While sun decides to show up
No umbrellas now

Great streets decorated
And the flowers in the park
Spring is here now

No colds anymore
And spring break took place
At last some relax

People are happy
Going new places for fun
Spring fills us up

– Stephanie Hoi
From the WritersCorps book “Poetry By Numbers” at International Studies Academy

Poem of the Month: April 2008

Where you from?
What’s that set you claim?
You gon rep it until the death?
Or til the gunshots rang?
You gon love it even after you right hand get slain?
Yeah it’s fire in yo eyes but do you still feel pain?
You gon try a legal hustle or you gon jus sell Kane?
Boo you got knowledge past yo years
Why you don’t use yo brain?
I guess you think cuz I’m a woman I ain’t laced wit game?
You at an awkward disposition while you on the corner pitchin
But baby boy is you 4 getting that yo gurl home alone wishin?
And you fate is in the distance servin a long prison sentence
Because yo palms won’t stop itchin you gon be lyin in a ditch
&
If you wonder how I know call it
Woman’s intuition

– Sharel Miller
From Poetic Justice, a WritersCorps publication at Ida B. Wells High School

Poem of the Month: March 2008

I am an immigrant in America.
I am studying in my school.
But I forgot to bring my soul here.
I left her in my hometown.
She plays with my friends.
The cherry blossoms surround her.
She does not want to come with me.
Never!

– Shang Hui Cindy Chen
From a WritersCorps publication at Newcomer High School

Poem of the Month: February 2008

A hero is someone who stands up for
what they believe in and fights for what is right.
Some powerful heroes in the world that I know about,

heard about, or learned about in school are
Gandhi, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr.,
Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks.

These are people who fought for what was right,
even when all odds were against them.
I think that defines a true hero.

I think of these people as heroes,
but none of them has had a direct impact on my life.
They weren’t there to stop me from crying

When I fell off my bike and scraped my knee.
They weren’t there to console me each time I
woke up in a cold sweat because someone was after me

and they surely don’t make sure that I
eat everyday and never go hungry and
that I always have clothes on my back.

There’s just one person
who does all of this for me
and he is my true hero.

he is my dad.

– Chea Sayon
From a WritersCorps publication at Mercy Housing California

Poem of the Month: January 2008